Yemen’s Houthis target Saudi King’s palace in Riyadh

Monitoring Desk

SANAA: Yemen’s Shia Houthi rebel group on Tuesday announced it had fired a “ballistic missile” at Saudi capital Riyadh, according to the Houthi-run Al-Masira television channel.

The missile reportedly targeted Riyadh’s Yamama Royal Palace, which houses the office of Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz.

“The missile targeted a large meeting of Saudi regime officials that was held at the palace,” the broadcaster reported, adding that the missile had “found its target”.

According to the Houthi-run television channel, group leader Abdul-Malik Badreddin al-Houthi will deliver and important address to supporters later Tuesday.

But, spokesman of the Coalition Forces to Support Legitimacy in Yemen Colonel Turki Al-Maliki stated that, at 01:39 p.m. on Tuesday, the coalition air defense forces monitored a ballistic missile launched from the Yemeni territories towards the Kingdom’s territories.

In a statement to Saudi Press Agency (SPA), he said that the missile was indiscriminately launched towards Riyadh to target the civilian and populated areas. He added that the missile was intercepted by Patriot, south of Riyadh, without any damage or loss of life.

“This hostile and indiscriminate act by the Iran-back Houthi armed group proves the continued involvement of the Iranian regime in supporting Houthi armed group with qualitative capabilities in a clear and blatant defiance of the UN resolution no. 2216 and resolution no. 2231 aiming to threaten the security of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as well as the regional and international security. Launching ballistic missiles towards populated cities and villages is contrary to the international humanitarian law,” he added.

Colonel Al-Maliki called upon the international community to take serious and effective steps to stop the blatant Iranian violations of transferring ballistic weapons to terrorist and outlaw groups and to hold them accountable for their support and defiance of violating international norms and values.